MeToo Music’s When The Music Ends emphasizes the difference an individual can make through depictions of sexual abuse based on real victim accounts.
As part of its #ForTheMusic campaign, MeToo Music has produced a short film meant to spark meaningful conversation on sexual abuse in the nightlife industry. It goes by the title When The Music Ends and premiered on October 23 in Berlin.
The film depicts the stories of three victims of sexual abuse: two women, and one man. Each actor belongs to a group identified by the Electronic Music Inclusion Initiative (EMII) as being most at risk. The stories themselves are based on anonymous accounts from people who also belong to said communities.
Unlike the real-life incidents, however When The Music Ends offers two outcomes for each story. In one, the protagonist suffers the abuse and takes an emotional toll. In another, a third party steps in and prevents it from happening.
“If we believe in creating safer spaces within the darkest corners of our scene, then we all must act,” reads text at the end of the film. “You can make a difference.”
When The Music Ends was produced by Berlin-based studio Spilled Milk. It was directed by Mo Kanaan and stars Lujain Mustafa, Justus Riesner, Luna Baptiste, Frederic Balonier, and Vincent Ercolani. Partnering with MeToo Music to make the film possible were Beatport, Pioneer, Safer Dance, Ravemore, and Reprise Talent Agency.
Previously, the EMII conducted a study in which it gathered over 600 reports of sexual abuse from 28 different countries. It found women between the ages of 26-35 to be most at risk, especially those from the UK, Germany, and the US.